From the Editor

Adolescence is the period which many young people initiate behaviours that may result in lifelong problems. These behaviours such as smoking, teen sex, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse etc. have taken the place of infectious diseases in developed countries and are causing serious health problems in developing countries. In 2000, the United States Public Health Service identified these risky behaviours as 'new morbidities'.

In this issue of TJPH, Bulut et al., Kir et al., Ugurhan et al., Aslan et al. all deal with above mentioned 'new morbidities' and discuss the different aspects of adolescents' health. Topbas and Oner discuss air pollution and Pap smear screening which are amongst important public health matters.

Goffins bring to our attention the Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC) approach which may help practitoners working at the primary level who have no training or experience. Community Oriented Primary Care depends on planning the health care for the total defined population using the intervention programs based on the identified health needs, evaluation of care, multidisciplinary team, community involvement and the use of epidemiology at the primary care level.

Hatun and Gonullu points out the prominent role of peace in child health in their letter to the editor.

Four distinctive books, 'Building Better Health: A Handbook of Behavioral Change'', 'Violence agaist Women: The Health Sector Responds', 'Vaccines: Preventing Disease & Protecting Health' and 'Zoonoses and Communicable Diseases Common to Man and Animals' published by the Pan American Health Organization are reviewed in the journal.

We would like to thank all the authors and reviewers who contributed to this issue of the journal and wish you all a happy New Year.

Editor

Sanda Cali

Information for Contributors

Aim and Scope

The Turkish Journal of Public Health (TJPH) is a peerreviewed research journal published bi-annually and serving a broad audience in the field of Public Health and Community Medicine both nationally and internationally. TJPH aims to provide a medium for the rapid communication of advances and new knowledge in this field. The editor anticipates receiving manuscripts from the following areas of research: health policy and management, biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health, health economics, medical demography, social sciences for health, health education, public health laboratory, community nutrition, infectious diseases, disaster management, accidents, women's health/reproductive health, child health, chronic diseases, and occupational health.

Submission of Papers

The following types of contributions are welcomed:

1. Original research articles: papers reporting original research findings in a relevant area (maximum 5000 words).
2. Short reports: preliminary/short reports of research findings (maximum 1500 words).
3. Critical reviews: authors are advised to contact the editor prior to submission of critical review papers (maximum 4500 words).
4. Notes from the field: Highlighting practicebased programs, initiatives of widespread interest, experiences to share with the public health community (maximum 1000 words).
5. Letters to the editor: a limited number of letters to the editor concerning the published papers in the TJPH (maximum 300 words).
6. Data: Data from nationally or sub-nationally representative surveys (maximum 35 tables and figures).

Submissions will be considered on the understanding that they comprise original, unpublished material and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere. A cover letter to this effect should be enclosed with each submission, signed by all authors of the paper. All papers are published in English although submission of articles in Turkish is encouraged and will not prejudice editorial consideration. The authors may use either the British or the American spelling, but they should be consistent throughout the paper. Submissions undergo a two-tiered review process. The editorial board for overall quality and interest screens them initially. Papers accepted for formal review will be sent anonymously to at least two independent referees.

Authorship

Authorship by more than 6 authors requires justification. We adhere to the criteria of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (JAMA. 1997; 277:927-934). For manuscripts with two or more authors, each author must qualify by having participated actively and sufficiently in the study that is being carried out and reported on. The inclusion of each author in the authorship list of a report is based only

1. on substantial contributions to
   1. concepts and design, or analysis and interpretation of data and
   2. drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
   and
2. on final approval by each author of the submitted version of the manuscript.

Conditions 1 (a and b) and 2 must both be met. Others contributing to the work should be recognized separately in an Acknowledgement.In the covering letter that accompanies the submitted manuscripts, it must be confirmed that all authors fulfilled both conditions.

Manuscript Preparation

General

Manuscripts must be typewritten on one side of a white paper, page numbered, and double-spaced with 2.5 cm margins. Good quality printouts with a font size of 12 pt are required. Provide a word count for the paper and abstract. The original copy of text, tables, and figures should be sent to:

The Editor

Turkish Journal of Public Health
Marmara University Medical Faculty
Department of Public Health
Haydarpasa 34668 Istanbul/Turkey
E-mail: tjph@hasuder.org

Manuscripts should also be submitted on disk using Microsoft Word. The file on disk should be identical to the hard copy submitted. Tables and figures should follow the text. Please label the disk with your name, the name of the file on the disk and the title of the article. Electronic submission would be preferred.

Cover letter

All authors must sign the letter, with one named correspondent (give postal and e-mail addresses and telephone and fax numbers). Disclose all possible conflicts of interest (e.g. funding sources for consultancies of studies of products). A brief indication of the importance of the paper to the field of public health is helpful. You may suggest up to 4 knowledgeable reviewers (include postal and e-mail addresses and telephone and fax numbers).

First title page

Include:

1. a concise title,
2. a running head up to 30 characters,
3. full names of all authors, with degrees and institutional affiliations at the time of the work,
4. name, postal and e-mail addresses, and telephone and fax numbers for correspondence and reprint requests,
5. word count for the whole text including the abstract, references, tables and figures and
6. separate word counts for abstract, text, and references and the number of tables and figures.

Second title page

Type only the title (to keep authorship unknown to reviewers), and remove other obvious indications ofauthor identity.

Text

The text of the article should include the following: Abstract (up to 250 words, followed by up to 6 keywords), Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Acknowledgments. Each section should begin on a new sheet.

Figures

All figures (photographs, drawings, diagrams, charts) should be clear, easily legible, and cited consecutively by Arabic numerals in the text (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc) and should be placed on separate sheets. Legends should contain sufficient detail to permit figure interpretation without reference to the text. Units should be indicated in the figures. All line graphs and their respective data points should accompany charts so that they can be replicated on the journal's computers. Cost for printing of color plates will be charged to the authors.

Tables

Tables must be concise, as simple as possible, and cited consecutively by Arabic numerals in the text (Table 1, Table 2, etc). Each table should be titled and typed on a separate sheet. The title of each table should clearly indicate the nature of the contents. Sufficient detail should be included in the table footnote to facilitate interpretation.

References

Cite references in numerical order and as superscripts in the text. List all authors when there are six or fewer; when there are seven or more, list only the first three and add et al" Use Index Medicus (abridged) abbreviations for journal names. Do not reference papers that are "submitted"; these can be mentioned in the body of the text. Cite personal communications in text only, giving source, date, and type (if e-mail, provide sender's address). References should follow the style described by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (www.icmje.org).

The following are sample styles

Journal article

Feldman HA, McKinley SM. Cohort versus crosssectional design in large field trials: precision, sample size, and unifying model. Stat Med 1994; 13: 61-78.

Book

UNICEF. State of the World's Children. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Chapter in a book

Phillips SJ, Whisnant JP. Hypertension and stroke. In: Laragh JH, Brenner BM, editors. Hypertension: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and management. 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press; 1995. p. 465-78.

Online book or web site

Garrow A, Winhouse G. Anoxic brain injury: assessment and prognosis. In: Up To Date Cardiovascular Medicine [online]. Available at: www.UpToDateInc.com/card. Accessed February 22, 2000.

Acknowledgements

Prepare acknowledgments on a separate page. Upon acceptance, you will be asked to certify that you have listed all persons who have contributed substantially to the work but who do not fulfill authorship criteria and that you have obtained permission for listing them. Also required is disclosure of all financial and material support. If human subjects are involved, you must report approval by an institutional review board. TJPH adheres to the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association (JAMA 1997; 277: 925-926).